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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer
SALT LAKE CITY — Much of the BYU football team was still on the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium celebrating a miraculous 22-21 win against rival Utah late Saturday night when Utes athletics director Mark Harlan made a surprise appearance at the postgame news conference.
In a fiery address, Harlan disparaged the officiating crew and challenged the validity of his school’s loss.
“This game was absolutely stolen from us,” Harlan said. “We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed.
“I will talk to the commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I’m disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight.”
Harlan, who does not regularly address the media after games, did not take questions following his stunning rebuke, nor did he elaborate further with any specifics.
It’s a safe assumption, however, that Harlan’s disdain was directed toward a holding call on cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn that negated Utah’s fourth-down sack of BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff at the Cougars’ 1-yard line with 1:29 left, which appeared to have ended the game.
“Whatever decision the refs make, I don’t think they’re trying to get it wrong, so that’s just part of the game,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “The refs are part of the game. We were able to capitalize on that.”
Utah’s would-be sack of Rezlaff was the second time the largest crowd in Rice-Eccles history (54,383) thought the game was effectively over. Prior to the fourth-down play, BYU snapped the ball and Retzlaff was flushed out of the end zone, but Sitake had called a time out before the snap, likely saving the game in the process.
After the Cougars were given new life due to the holding call, Retzlaff hit Chase Roberts for 30 yards and Darius Lassiter for 12 yards, before Hinckley Ropati ran for 14 yards to get BYU in position for Will Ferrin‘s game-winning 44-yard field goal.
Ferrin, who transferred to BYU from Boise State after the 2022 season, calmly split the uprights to add another legendary finish to a rivalry game that has had several of them.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham was visibly upset with the officials on the field following the game but was measured in his postgame comments.
“Couldn’t get that last stop when we needed it, unfortunately,” he said. “That’s kind of been the story for several games.”
The win keeps No. 9 BYU (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) undefeated and in prime position to qualify for the College Football Playoff. With three conference games left against Kansas, Arizona State and Houston, the Cougars lead Colorado by one game in the Big 12 standings. Four other teams — Iowa State, Kansas State, Arizona State and West Virginia — have two conference losses.
Retzlaff finished 15-of-33 for 219 yards without a touchdown pass or interception. It is BYU’s second consecutive win in the series — following a 26-17 win in 2021 — but the Cougars’ first victory in Salt Lake City since 2006.
This was the first time the rivals have played as conference opponents since 2010, after which Utah left for the Pac-12 and BYU went independent.